A Merry Mishap
by FanFictionous
Summary: It's a Christmas fanfiction, involving Suga, Shiori, Officer Mochizuki, Sakuma, some friends, and a mis-sent text message. SugaxShiori
1. Chapter 1

***** **Author's note** **: So this is my first time writing a fanfiction, and I wanted to add some more characters to the story that weren't there. This is just for the enjoyment of the readers, and not for copy-write purposes. All names created by myself are meant as secondary characters as a type of filler plot, and the main story will focus on the game "Forest of Drizzling Rain" owned and created by its respected owner Stardust KRNKRN (I'm sorry if that's wrong, it's what I found on various google sites!). Characters made by me that have any resemblances to people living or dead is purely coincidental. Also, this is a Christmas fanfiction idea, and was uploaded late due to issues with time on my part. But now, LET THE FUN BEGIN!**

Chapter 1

It was the start of December, and Shiori is finishing her semester. She had made quite a few friends at university, and many of them became quite close. Mori Amaya, a girl majoring in astronomy, is one of Shiori's most trusted friends. Of course, Shiori still has contact with Suga and Sakuma via cell phone, but she's usually quite busy with university to actually talk much. However, she decided to spend the holidays in Azakawa Village, packing her bags a week before the end of the term. Everything was prepared, but she still has to get gifts for the friends she would be visiting. And so, she finds herself shopping downtown with Amaya, who also has Christmas shopping to do. It's a tad cold, so Shiori traded in her shorts and tee shirt for a yellow sweater and blue jeans, with a large brown trench coat on top. Amaya dresses similarly, with a tacky sweater and dark brown jeans, as well as a bright green puffy coat.

"So, Shiori, are you looking forward to seeing your boyfriend over the holidays?" Amaya teases, bumping Shiori's shoulder with a sly smile on her face.

Shiori flushes. "I-it's not like that, Amaya!" Shiori stutters, "We're just good friends from childhood! Honest!" Shiori looks away, shuffling Amaya's bags she's helping to carry while they walk, Amaya laughing beside her.

"I never would have guessed by the way you're walking," Amaya jokes, "But considering how much you talk about him, I would assume you two were a couple!"

"I don't talk about Suga-kun that much," says Shiori, entering a bookstore, adding sadly, "I don't even get to talk to him much."

Amaya looks sympathetically at her disappointed friend, as they head to a grouping of hard-cover books about the Wakou and other interesting bouts of history. Finding an interesting-looking one, Shiori reaches up to get it, but she is too small. Seeing her problem, Amaya tries to get it, but only manages to touch the spine of the book. After a few attempts, the girls give up.

"It's too bad," sighs Shiori, looking longingly at the book, "It would have been perfect for Sakuma-chan."

"Need some help?"

The girls turn, startled, to see a tall man in his early twenties dressed in a navy blue over-coat, white dress shirt, black slacks and loafers. He smiles down at the girls, his black locks falling gently to the sides of his face, some strands sliding onto it. Amaya smiles back, happy that a handsome stranger is willing to help him. On the other hand, Shiori is practically gawking at him. Noticing her reaction, Amaya nudges her shoulder. Shiori snaps out of her daze, and smiles up at him, too. He chuckles and moves past them.

"It's this one, right?" the stranger asks, pointing at the book. The girls nod, and he pulls it down for them. Handing it to Shiori, he suddenly stops. Smacking himself on the forehead, he bows in apology. "I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself," straightening up, he smiles whilst continuing, "My name is Hayashi Kiyoshi, and I work nearby here. At the restaurant across from this bookstore actually." Kiyoshi points to a little restaurant across the way through the window that advertises different types of traditional Japanese food dishes.

"That's so cool, Hayashi-san! I guess we should check it out sometime! I'm Mori Amaya, and this is my friend, Kanzaki Shiori," says Amaya, gesturing to her staring friend. Shiori starts at the mention at her name, bowing in greeting. Kiyoshi chuckles.

"It's a pleasure to meet you two, and please," he says looking at Amaya, "Call me Kiyoshi." Winking at Amaya, he turns and leaves for another section of the store.

After he's out of earshot, Amaya starts giggling and hugging the surprised Shiori. "Did you see him?" Amaya asks, resting her head on Shiori's shoulder, "He's gorgeous, works across from my favourite place to be, and he winked at me! Me! Ahh, I'm so happy." When Shiori doesn't respond, Amaya lifts her head and looks at Shiori. "Are you alright?" she asks.

Shiori gives a small smile and nods slightly. Amaya gives her a look until Shiori tells her the truth.

"I don't know about you," says Shiori, "But Kiyoshi-san looks an awful lot like Suga-kun." Shiori pulls up a picture of Suga on her phone that was taken during the summer. Amaya looks at the picture for a bit, then at Shiori apologetically.

"Sorry, Shiori, but I don't see the resemblance," Amaya says.

Shiori sighs. "Maybe I miss him," she says simply.

Amaya looks at her sadly. Then she takes Shiori's hand with a smile, leading her to the cashier. "C'mon, Shiori, we have more presents to get!" Shiori smiles as they take off.

 **Author's Note (part 2):** **Sorry for the lack of SugaxShiori in this fanfiction, I promise there will be more in coming chapters! Also, it may take me a while to upload some of them, as I'm not too familiar with how that works!**

 **For those of you who are curious, the names of the side characters aren't randomly selected. I thought I could be clever, and came up with names that meant things related to the RPG game:**

 **Mori Amaya:** **According to the translation sites I happened upon,** _ **Mori**_ **means forest in Japanese, and** _ **Amaya**_ **means night rain.**

 **Hayashi Kiyoshi:** **Using the same sites as before,** _ **Hayashi**_ **also means forest, and** _ **Kiyoshi**_ **means pure.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Once Christmas shopping was done - a blue knitted scarf for Mochizuki, a book for Sakuma, and a sketchbook for Suga - Shiori went back to her parents' house to relax a little. Amaya had told her that Kiyoshi looked nothing like Suga, and that Shiori was just imagining things. It was probably because she was so excited to go to Azakawa Village again.

Shiori's exhausted from shopping so much with Amaya. How could that girl shop so long? Shiori sighs as she reclines in one of the dining room chairs. Looking around her, she notes how empty the house really is, as well as how quiet. The only sound is a clock ticking. Feeling terribly lonely, Shiori can't wait to travel back to the museum to see everyone again. To spend Christmas with all the people she holds dearest. She smiles, clenching her fist with determination, the lonely feeling subsiding. It's time to wrap the presents.

Shiori returns the wrapping paper back to the hall closet, the tape to the study's drawer. The presents are wrapped as neatly as possible with cute patterned paper. Shiori picks each one up and places them beside her luggage. It would be less than a week before end of term, and then she would be back with Suga and everyone else. This time, though, she doesn't have to worry about the Katori Obake. Shiori's excited, to say the least. She hadn't celebrated anything with them since the curse was lifted, and before that when she was young. This would be the first Christmas held since then.

Finally, it was over! Shiori was free from university, and able to visit her friends. Shiori cheers silently with a fistpump. She's more than ready to take off to the country. She had already wished her friends and teachers a happy holiday, then bolted out the doors of the university. She quickens her pace as she leaves. The sooner she's home, the sooner she can leave the city behind.

"Shiori! Wait for me!" yells a voice.

Shiori pauses, a tad irritated. She's hugged violently from behind, Amaya's smiling face appearing on her shoulder.

"You're in such a rush, Shiori!" Amaya laughs, "Why don't we walk together? I won't see you until next year, after all!"

"I guess so, Amaya," says Shiori, "But aren't you going to hang out with Kiyoshi-san?"

Amaya blushes. "I-I don't know what you're talking about," she stutters, looking away. Shiori laughs awkwardly. Amaya is a horrible liar.

Releasing Shiori from her grasp, Amaya walks with her down the street. "I just wanted to see you one last time before you went off to 'catch up' with your lover," Amaya grins, "After all, who knows if you'll be too busy under the mistletoe to talk?"

Shiori flushes brightly. Amaya laughs, and the two continue to tease and talk to one another until they get to Kanzaki's house. Then the girls wish each other a merry Christmas and happy New Year, parting ways. Shiori grabs her stuff and heads for the train station, whilst Amaya heads over to the restaurant to see her 'handsome stranger'.

Shiori rides on the bumpy country train, which is a little more crowded than usual. After the curse was lifted, people started to invite relatives over to visit. It seemed as though families were getting together in Azakawa Village to escape the noisy city. Shiori is glad that the village is becoming popular once more, but she isn't too pleased about having less room to sit. Keeping her luggage and gifts at her feet, she tries not to doze off on the train.

Suddenly, a small chirp alerts her of a text message. Checking her phone, she sees it's from Amaya, and that there is an attachment with the message. Looking at it, it's a photo of Amaya in the restaurant with a pair of reindeer antlers on her head, making a peace sign. The message reads: 'Fun times all around!' Shiori giggles; Amaya looks ridiculous. Shiori types out: 'You're so cute!' with a little heart beside it, and plans on sending it to Amaya. However, the train goes over some bumpy track when she is picking the name from her contacts list, and somehow manages to send the message to Suga instead. Shiori doesn't bother checking to see who it was sent to; she assumes it was sent to Amaya. Putting her phone away, Shiori sits back on the train car's bench, watching the countryside go by.

Meanwhile, Suga is making preparations for Shiori's arrival. With some help from Sakuma the day before, the museum is decorated with holly, bells, and other fun stuff. There are quite a few made from night glow stone, made by Suga himself, but the creator refuses to tell anyone who created them. There is also a sprig of mistletoe, much to Suga's annoyance, hanging by the entrance to the foyer. It was put up by Mochizuki, who thought it would be a fun addition to the museum's decked-out walls. Many couples, old and young, took advantage of this little decoration. Suga avoids the area like it was the plague.

At the time, Suga's placing the last decoration on the Christmas tree, when his phone goes off. Suga removes it from his pocket, and saw that it was Shiori. He smiles happily, expecting her to say she's on the train, and would be there soon. Instead, he finds a message telling him he's cute with a heart beside it. Suga's ears grow hot, and he stuffs his phone back in his pocket. Although he's alone, he doesn't want anyone to read what he just read. While he puts gifts under the tree, he thinks about what Shiori had sent him. Perhaps she was just giving him a compliment. But then why would there be a heart? Suga's mind is filled with these thoughts, his ears growing warmer, and the heat starting to travel doen to his cheeks.

Suddenly, the doors to the entrance are thrown open. Suga hides behind the tree, not ready to face Shiori just yet.

"Anybody here?" yells a familiar voice.

Suga lets out a sigh of relief. In the doorway is Sakuma, who is holding presents in her arms, wearing a puffy violet-coloured jacket over her school uniform. She's grumpy that no one is there to greet her. Closing the door behind her, she notices Suga coming out from behind the Christmas tree, face a light shade of pink.

"Hello, manager-san!" she says handing him the gifts. While Suga puts them under the tree, Sakuma stomps the snow of her shoes, and removes her jacket to hang it on a hook to dry. Looking over her shoulder, she wonders why Suga's acting strange. Well, stranger than usual. When Suga's done, Sakuma points at his face and asks, "Why're you blushing, manager-san?"

Suga's face grows pinker, and he takes out a pen and memo. Writing his answer, he gives Sakuma the memo. On it, it says: "I opened the doors not that long ago to check the weather."

Sakuma nods, buying his lie, and Suga does an internal sigh of relief. He isn't sure how Sakuma would react should she find out about the text message. It's for the best that she doesn't know. As it happened to be, Suga was unintentionally staring at Sakuma, and she felt as though she had to say something to get him to stop.

"So...," she begins, startling Suga out of his trance, "Has Officer Mochizuki-san come by yet?" Suga shakes his head, and Sakuma seems a tad irate. "Onee-chan will be here any minute, and he hasn't come by to drop off gifts or help out?" she asks with a huff. Not waiting for a reply she grabs her jacket and storms out, shouting over her shoulder, "I'll go find him and be right back before Onee-chan comes!" And with that, she's gone.

Suga is once again alone with his thoughts. His phone makes a sound once more, which makes him jump. It's Shiori again. Suga's face grows hot, remembering her previous message. Scared, yet excited to look, Suga peeks at his phone, and sees no hearts in the message this time. Suga feels relieved, yet oddly disappointed. The message reads: 'Suga-kun, will be there soon.' with a smiley face at the end. Suga smiles softly, then decides to tidy up a bit beforehand.

 **Author's Note:** **So, I tried to put a bit of a border to separate the different paragraphs (when they happen at different times) and I don't know if it worked until I post this...so...bear with me. I hope you all enjoy, and I will try to upload chapters as best I can! Enjoy!**


	3. Chapter 3

***Author's Note:** **Sorry about the inability to separate the paragraphs! I'm not exactly sure how to fix it, so...*sadness***

Chapter 3

As Shiori finishes her message and sends it, a cold breeze blows against her. Shivering in the cold, she continues along her way to the museum. She regrets not wearing some kind of hat to protect her head from the wind, but then again, it probably would have blown off by now. Instead, she pops her coat collar up in an attempt to block the cold. It sort of works. The snow falls in a steady rhythm, muting the sounds of the world. It makes Shiori feel as though she's walking in a silent cloud, as the village is covered in white, fluffy snow. In a way, it is truly breath-takingly beautiful. Shiori finds herself feeling nostalgic at the sight of it all. Smiling despite herself, she carries on her way, oblivious to a man in a police uniform passing her along the path. The man's unaware of who she is, too focused on the holidays to pay attention. He figures she's just a visitor out for a walk, the snow and her coat collar hiding her true identity. And so, they cross paths without even knowing that they do, in fact, know one another.

Eventually, Shiori arrives at the museum. She's impressed by the brilliant Christmas lights flashing in rainbow colours. As it's afternoon in the winter, the sun had already set, and many lights are aglow. The museum had closed to the general public that morning, but made exceptions. Walking up to the doors, which both held wreaths, Shiori opens them wide. She gasps as she beholds the marvel of the foyer and the first floor. They're covered in glistening Christmas ornaments, and a tall tree stands by the main desk, its decorations shining in the light.

Amazed by the spectacle, Shiori's unaware of Suga's presence until he clears his throat and says, "Shii-chan..."

Shiori turns around, grinning at Suga. "Suga-kun!" she exclaims, giving him a hug. Suga blushes, remembering the text, but gives in, smiling against her hair. After letting go, Shiori looks up at him asking, "Have you been practicing with your voice, Suga-kun?" Suga nods, which makes Shiori smile back. She knows he probably won't ever talk in front of anyone other than her, seeing as it would be difficult to explain the sudden appearance of his voice, but he had been practicing in secret.

Suddenly, Suga pulls his cell phone out, having decided to ask Shiori what she meant by her message. Shiori looks at Suga in confusion, as he gestures for her to take his phone. She takes it uncertainly, not sure what she's supposed to do with it. Suga unlocks the phone, which reveals the message with the heart sent earlier. While she reads it, Suga goes to close the doors, returning to his spot to find Shiori blushing a bright crimson.

"Su-Suga-kun, I-um...this was...um...," Shiori stumbles with her words, as Suga looks at her, waiting for an honest answer. Shiori stumbles through sentences for a few more minutes until she finally says, "I'm sorry, Suga-kun. This message was meant for someone else..."

Suga feels a harsh pain in his chest. Looking away, his eyes start burning. Suga stands there, confused as to why he feels so hurt. But on the inside, he knows. He knows that he fell back in love with Shiori, and the thought of her being with someone else makes him tear up. Shiori sees his face, touching his arm gently. Suga flinches away, hiding his face the best he can. He can't stand the idea of Shiori seeing him cry about something so trivial. Shiori furrows her brows, placing his phone in her pocket before taking his hands in hers. Looking through his sleek black locks, she sees tears welling up in his eyes.

"Suga-kun, what's wrong?" Shiori asks in concern, "Why are you crying? I'm sorry about the message. It was-"

"Who?"

It comes out in barely a whisper, tears rolling down his cheeks. Shiori opens her mouth as if to answer, but closes it again. Removing her entwined fingers from his, she reaches into one of her coat pockets and pulls out her phone. In the meantime, Suga covers his face with his hands, trying to rid himself of the tears streaming down his cheeks.

"This is who," Shiori says softly, a picture of Amaya in the restaurant posing appearing on the screen. Suga pauses for a moment before grudgingly glowering at the photo on the screen. He stares in shock at the face in front of him, asking a non-verbal question with his wet eyes.

Shiori smiles up at him, saying, "This is one of my friends from university, Mori Amaya. We're quite close. But not as close as you and I are, Suga-kun," Shiori adds, looking away shyly.

Suga stares at the picture, ashamed at himself for jumping to conclusions about Shiori's love life. Arguing in his head that he has no say in who she loves anyways. All the same, Suga's relived that Shiori doesn't have someone like that in her life. Probably.

"Why were you crying, Suga-kun?"

Shiori's voice startles Suga, and he's answerless. Of course, he could tell her the truth, but Suga can't bear the thought of his beloved Shii-chan rejecting him. Instead, he stares at the floor whilst Shiori replaces her phone. Once she's done, she takes his hands again, and attempts to catch his eye. Unfortunately, Suga's still thinking about an excuse, and holding Shiori's hands again makes him a tad flustered. They hadn't held hands since the summer, and that had been a while ago.

Finally, Suga comes across an excuse. Looking into Shiori's eyes, he says, "Stress."

Shiori regards him as though he just tried to tell her that grass is purple. Crossing her arms, she starts to say something, but is interrupted by the doors busting open.

In the entranceway stands Sakuma and Officer Mochizuki. Both are covered in snow, Mochizuki holding boxes in his arms. Sakuma closes the doors, and Mochizuki realises he passed Shiori earlier on her way, but thought she was someone visiting one of the villagers in town. Putting down the boxes, Sakuma and Mochizuki stomp their shoes and hang their jackets. All the while, Sakuma grumbles about being 'too late to greet Onee-chan', and Mochizuki smiles from the merriment of having everyone together again. Shiori also removes her coat and shoes, having forgotten about her attire once she entered the museum. Mochizuki places presents under the tree, and Sakuma gives Shiori a hug. Whilst this is going on, Suga stands in place, unsure what to do with himself.

However, that changes when Mochizuki says, "Suga-kun! You're under the mistletoe!"

Suga looks up at the plant, a mixture of horror and disgust on his face. Hr makes as though he is about to move, but he's stopped by Shiori. Placing a hand on his chest, Shiori gets on her tip-toes to place a kiss on his cheek. Heat travels throughout his entire body, seeming to engulf his face and ears. Suga stands ridged, his mouth slightly agape. Before he can react in any other way, Shiori goes down to her height, her face as red as Suga's. Not wanting to stay the center of attention, Shiori quickly grabs her bags, leaving the presents, and rushes to her reserved room in the museum. In the meantime, Suga, having slightly recovered from the shock, places a shaky hand on the spot where she kissed him.


	4. Chapter 4

***Author's Note: I'M SOOOOOOO SORRY! I meant to write this sooner, but there's been a lot of chaos lately in my life, and I haven't found the time to write anything down! Sorryx100! And I'd like to thank those of you who left reviews. It means so much to me when I see that people enjoy my story! Thank you to all of you who favorited, followed, and/or reviewed it! But now, back to the story!**

Chapter 4

Shiori quickly shuts the guest room door behind her, dropping her luggage to the floor. She'd been thinking about doing something like that all summer, but she didn't think she'd have the opportunity. And yet, she'd kissed him. Shiori smiles at the thought, brushing her lips with her fingertips. Giggling, she slides her back against the door, staring up at the ceiling. It had almost been perfect. If only that text message had been sent to Amaya instead of Suga! Shiori flinches. Looking about her, she notices that there's something in her pocket. Reaching into her jeans, she pulls out a simple black phone.

"Oh no!" she gasps. "I forgot to give Suga-kun his phone back!"

Checking to see if the phone got damaged at all from when she banged into the door, Shiori realises it's unlocked. The first image popping up is the text message she sent him. Shiori cringes at the sight, thinking she probably insulted him. She sighs. Why did it go to Suga-kun? Shiori could have sworn she sent it to Amaya. Thinking back, she realises that the train must have bumped her hand. Groaning, she puts her head in her hands, deciding to check the contact before sending something like that. Lifting her head, she takes a deep breath and opens the door, aiming to apologise to Suga again for the message and possible insult.

During this time, Suga was still trying to get over what happened. He had come to the conclusion that the only reason Shiori kissed him was due to the mistletoe, and he promptly removed himself from the area. However, that didn't stop Sakuma from teasing him.

"Looks like Onee-chan has a crush on you!" Sakuma says. "It's pretty sad that she had to make a move before you did, though. Don't you want to impress her?"

"Now, Sakuma-san!" says Mochizuki. "Be nice to Suga-kun!" Mochizuki looks at Suga, adding, "I think it's sweet that Shiori-san kissed you under the mistletoe!"

Saying he had papers to work on via memo, Suga swiftly retreats to his office to avoid further teasing. Closing the door behind him, he sighs, leaning his back against it. While doing this, Suga worries that his bright red face won't ever go back to normal. She'd kissed him. Suga touches his cheek again, a dreamy smile on his face. Maybe that mistletoe wasn't such a bad idea after all. He contemplates thanking Mochizuki for it, but chooses not to. It would only cause needless teasing. Walking across the room, Suga places his hands on his desk, the memory of what just occurred running through his head. Having his Shii-chan do anything remotely romantic towards him had always been a fantasy that he figured would never come true. But all the same, was it just because of the mistletoe? Too embarrassed to ask, Suga assumes that it was, and that a chance like that won't happen again unless he stands under the plant once more. But it would look suspicious if he stood under it on purpose. Shiori might ask him as to why he's under there, and then what? He can't just tell her how he feels! That's terrifying! Sighing, Suga decides that he'll just have to accept the fact that that small act was most likely the only thing he'll have from his wonderful Shii-chan.

All of a sudden, Suga hears voices outside of his office, one of which mentions his name. Curious, Suga goes to the office door and peeks at the people outside.

"What do you want manager-san for?" asks Sakuma. "Planning on doing more couple-y things with him, Onee-chan?" Sakuma giggles.

Shiori's face flushes, matching Suga's, and she stutters, "Sa-Sakuma-chan! It's not like that! I just have to return his phone!"

Instinctively, Suga reaches for his pocket, realising that the phone's usual bulge is gone. Then he pales. What if Shiori read what was on that device? What if she found out that her nickname had hearts beside it? What would she assume? Before thinking it through, Suga yanks the door open and stands in front of it in a sort of 'overlord-over-the-people' stance. This, paired with the determined expression on his face, would send shivers down anyone's spine. For poor Shiori, it's a sign that he's angry with her. At least, that's how she interprets it. Hanging her head, she makes her way slowly to Suga, stopping in front of his tall figure. Extending her arms as far as she could, which ends up being around Suga's stomach, she offers him his phone.

A tad taken aback by the display, Suga's not sure how to react. Glancing up, he notices Sakuma's disgusted look as well as Mochizuki's concerned one. Not wanting an audience, Suga slips his phone from Shiori's hands and slides it into his pocket. Before she can apologise or raise her head, Suga grabs her wrist and pulls her into the office. Practically whipping her behind him, Suga shuts the door and locks it, so they can have privacy. At the same time, he still holds her wrist and, not taking into account how much force he used to yank her in, ends up pulling Shiori back into him. And so, Shiori crashes into him, Suga barely having enough time to brace himself against the doorframe. Breathing heavily from the fading adrenaline, Suga barely hears Shiori whisper something as she leans the front of her body against his back.

"I'm so sorry, Suga-kun. I understand if you're mad."

Suga lifts his head, turning his body enough in order to see her, but not enough to remove her from his back. "...Shii-chan...;" he whispers back.

"I sent a message that wasn't meant for you and I didn't give a proper apology for it," Shiori says, looking up into Suga's eyes.

"...Not mad, Shii-chan...;" Suga replies, smiling down at her.

"But, what was that out there then?" Shiori questions, raising an eyebrow. Suga looks away and shuffles his feet.

Suddenly, they both realise the positions that they're standing in, and move apart. Shiori clasps her hands behind her back, dragging one of her feet along the floor and looking down. Suga leans against the doorframe, a hand resting on the small of his back, the other behind his head. Although quite shy, Suga gazes at Shiori - after seeing that she was looking at her feet of course. How beautiful she is, he thinks. My Shii-chan...

"Um, Suga-kun?"

Suga starts, looking around the room at anything except Shiori, choosing to stare at the ceiling.

"So, if you're not angry, why'd you pull me in here? What's the matter?" Shiori asks, looking up at him quizzically. Suga turns his attention to a very interesting-looking ceiling tile.

Walking over, Shiori removes Suga's hand from behind his back, taking it in hers. This act forces Suga to look down upon the confused girl, who is determined to get an answer to her question. Unsure what to say, Suga goes with his original excuse.

"Stress," he says. When Shiori gives him a look, Suga sighs sadly.

This is all my fault, Shiori thinks. If only I hadn't sent - wait! That's it!

"I didn't mean to insult you!" Shiori exclaims, startling Suga. "I thought my friend with the reindeer antlers was cute, so I was going to send that message to her! That doesn't mean that you're not cute, too!" She adds softly, "You're rather handsome, actually..."

Face a brilliant shade of red, Suga's unsure how to take the sudden compliment. Noticing that Shiori's still holding his hand, he shifts his in order to entwine their fingers. Shiori gasps, amazed at Suga's forwardness. Suga, on the other hand, has a plan in mind, and decides to act on it before his fears over-take him. Leaning down towards her face, he angles his face enough that his lips are almost brushing against her ear. "Shii-chan...;" he whispers softly.

Shiori stands still, scared that her heart is beating hard and loud enough for Suga to hear. Fluttering her eyelashes, she smiles, her cheeks a light shade of pink. Placing a hand on Suga's chest gently, she lays her head on his shoulder, falling into him. Feeling his heat against her face, she cuddles closer and relaxes in his embrace. Meanwhile, Suga's completely flustered, since he hadn't planned this far. He was planning on telling her to forget what happened - under the mistletoe and everything - so it would be easier for him to get over her. The response to his actions was completely uncalled for, according to Suga. On the other hand, Shiori's completely satisfied with what's going on. She doesn't understand it, mind you, but the fact that she could act this way with Suga is not something to be taken for granted.

A knock at the door surprises the pair, and they break apart. Suga goes to greet the individual, both glad and upset for the distraction. Opening the door, he discovers Sakuma, who's anything but pleased to see him.

"Where's Onee-chan? What did you do to her?" Sakuma questions in a demanding tone.

Mochizuki steps up behind the girl, saying, "We were just wondering why you two were in there so long. After all, you seemed rather upset with Shiori, and we figured that it wasn't going to end well." Shiori leaves the room, coming into Mochizuki's line of sight. "Oh there you are!" he says. "Is everything cleared up now?"

Sakuma gives Shiori a look-over, checking for injuries, and Shiori laughs awkwardly. "I'm fine, Sakuma-chan!" she says. Glancing up at Suga, she says, "Everything is wonderful..."

Sakuma and Mochizuki exchange glances, looking at Suga for clarification. Suga feels his ears growing warm. Pulling out his pen and a memo, he writes: _There's no problem. It's getting late. How about dinner?_

The three cringe, remembering Suga's idea of 'cooking'. Instead of sacrificing their stomachs to Suga's unfortunate skill, Mochizuki offers to cook something in celebration of Shiori's return. Heading towards the kitchen, Sakuma follows behind, intent of assisting. Shiori slides her fingers along Suga's palm as she follows the two others. Chills run up Suga's spine and he swallows. Shiori looks over her shoulder with a smile before going through the doorway. Suga stands in place, more confused than ever.

 ***Author's Note: Something cute and fluffy for my lovely readers! I'm planning on updating sooner (much sooner than what happened with this one...) but not too soon, since I want it to be well-written.** **See y'all soon!**


	5. Chapter 5

***Author's Note: Soooooo, I was going to update on the first day of spring break, but then my writing program crashed. :'( Much sadness. But hey! I'm back! Did y'all miss me? No? Okay... Following up where we left off, have fun!** **Also, thank you LuvSandy(Chapter 3), Orion(Guest)(Chapter 3), Guest(Chapter 3), and Chaotic Jeli(Chapter 4) for the reviews! And thank you all for the favourites and follows! ^.^ You guys are so sugary sweet!**

Chapter 5

At the dining room table, Sakuma, Mochizuki, and Shiori finish up their meals while Suga cleans the dishes. Having finished before the others, Suga insisted on cleaning up, saying, via memo, that since the others weren't done and Mochizuki should relax after making a meal, dish duty should be passed down to him. No one objected, since his argument made sense, and no one else wanted to do the dishes anyway. Suga was content with the dirty job as it gave him an opportunity to reflect on what had just occurred in the office.

And so, Suga thinks about how the moment seemed like something out a dream, not reality. Granted that his lack of preparation adds a dash of realism to it, did it really occur? Or was it just one of the fantasies that come along when he least expects them to? No, it felt real, so it must have been reality. But does that mean that his Shii-chan felt the same way for him as he does her? Or was she just giving a friendly hug? 'Course, who gives a hug like that? And the compliment, too... Why does everything have to be so confusing? Suga scrubs a pan in thought, trying to wrap his head around Shiori's confusing actions. The only real way to confirm his suspicion - that she truly does love him - would be to ask her directly. But how would he respond if Shiori denied it, saying she just wanted to be friends, nothing more? While Suga mulls over this, the others converse at the table.

"So, what's university life like, Onee-chan?" asks Sakuma, scraping up excess food onto her fork. "Are the people there nice?"

"Huh? Yes! Yes, they are!" says Shiori quickly, picking at what's left of her meal.

"What's wrong, Shiori-san? Is the food bad?" asks Mochizuki, worry obvious on his face. He added too much salt by mistake, and had hoped that no one would notice.

Shiori looks up from her plate, stopping her spinning fork. "Nothing," she says, with a genuine smile. "It's delicious, Officer Mochizuki-san." She takes a small bite for emphasis, then goes back to spinning her fork, staring at nothing.

Sakuma and Mochizuki exchange glances, unspoken worry travelling between them. Not a word is spoken; the only sounds are the scrubbing of the dishes and Shiori's fork occasionally scraping against her plate. Dinner continues in silence, and Suga misses the noisy chatter of his friends, wondering why it ceased in the first place. Meanwhile, Shiori fidgets from the stares of her dinner companions. Lifting a forkful of food to her mouth slowly, she takes the final bite of her meal.

"What did manager-san do to you, Onee-chan?"

Shiori chokes and a pot slips out of Suga's grasp, dousing him in soapy water. The other two rush from their chairs to help Shiori to stop choking. Sakuma rubs her back, Mochizuki places his arm along the table's edge so she doesn't get a concussion in case she bangs her head; all the while, Shiori has covered her mouth and cheeks with a napkin in the hopes of concealing the blush that's there for a completely different reason. Unfortunately for poor Suga, he's left to clean up a large lake on the floor and countertops with whatever wasn't soaked from the soapy tsunami. This gives him a chance to hide his red face from the group, though. Shiori tries to come up with a believable excuse in response to Sakuma's question, reducing her coughing to a minimum. When she's finished entirely, there's only one thing she can think to say.

"Stress!" she yells, making everyone jump.

"Stress?" asks Mochizuki. "I don't understand. Are you okay, Shiori-san?" Mochizuki and Sakuma look at Shiori quizzically while Suga facepalms.

"Suga-kun and I were, uh, talking about stress!" Shiori says, attempting to cover up her outburst. "And...that's why he pulled me into his office so quickly! We needed to catch up...you know...stress..."

The pair looks bewildered by her speech, unsure what to make of it. For a few moments, they dwell on their answers, and Shiori and Suga exchange worried glances. After all, who would believe such an obvious lie? Then Sakuma gives them both a big smile, humming as she clears the table. Mochizuki stands in place not sure what to make of the three of them. Shiori lets out an internal sigh of relief, figuring that Sakuma believes them and that she'll convince Mochizuki to do so, too. Seeing that everything is fine, Suga takes the dishes from Sakuma, putting them in what's left of the water in the sink before resuming the mopping of the disaster. Strolling past them all, Sakuma makes her way to the corridor leading to the exit.

Before she turns the corner, she looks back on the people staring at her in confusion. Giving a wave and a smile, she says cheerily, "It's good to have you back here, Onee-chan! I'll see you both tomorrow! I should probably go since it's late!" Then she proceeds along her way.

"Uhh, I suppose I should go then, too. Sakuma should have a ride home, especially at this hour," says Mochizuki. Smiling softly, he looks upon Shiori. "Welcome back, Shiori-san. I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow!" He chuckles at this, and follows the middle-schooler's path to the exit.

After a few moments, the remaining two seem to finally wrap their heads around the madness that just happened. They stare at each other, trying to understand how Shiori managed to convince Sakuma that they were just talking with such a horrible lie. Suga starts to chuckle, Shiori smiling at the sound. Suga has such a nice chuckle, Shiori thinks. My Suga-kun...

"Stress?" Suga asks with a grin and Shiori giggles.

Noticing his soaked shirt, Shiori stands, making her way towards him. "Where do you keep your shirts, Suga-kun? You'll catch a cold if you wear wet clothes!"

"...Wardrobe..." he says, and she takes off to fetch one. Suga smiles, turning back to the counter to clean up the mess.

"So, you actually believe that they were talking about stress, Sakuma-san?" asks Mochizuki, as he turns the steering wheel.

Sakuma and Mochizuki travel in Mochizuki's police car, making their way through the lit, rural streets. Mochizuki suspects that Shiori lied about what happened between her and Suga, but decides to let it pass. If they don't want to say anything, then that's that, and he shouldn't worry about it. He's curious - who wouldn't be? - but he doesn't want to pry when it comes to other people's affairs. Sakuma on the other hand...

"I don't believe what Onee-chan said. It was obviously a lie. But why would she lie to me?" Sakuma says, hurt creeping into her voice.

Mochizuki catches a glimpse of Sakuma in the rearview mirror, shifting his gaze back to the road after seeing her sad face. "I'm sure there's a reason why Shiori-san did what she did. Maybe she just doesn't want us to know what she and Suga-kun talked about in his office."

As he says this, Sakuma's reaction changes as an idea forms in her mind. "Maybe Onee-chan doesn't want to say anything because she thinks that manager-san will get in trouble. Maybe he did something bad to her, and-" The images of Suga running with his sword flashes in her mind, and then she wonders if he's more noble than what she's giving him credit for. She looks out her window in deep thought, and the ride is continued in silence.

As the car comes to a halt, Sakuma finally speaks. "I think I should try to figure out what's going on," she says. "If I start taking note of manager-san and Onee-chan's time together, maybe we could find out what's going on."

Mochizuki swivels around in his seat, suddenly serious as he looks at Sakuma. "Don't cause unnecessary trouble for Suga-kun and Shiori-san," he says, the hint of a warning in his voice.

Sakuma crosses her arms and pouts. "I'm not going to. I'm not going to spy either. I'm just going to try to be with Onee-chan as much as possible to notice how she reacts to manager-san. It'll be like I'm a third-wheel or something," she says. Mochizuki looks at her in surprise, amazed by her cunning idea to discover the truth.

After dropping her off with her parents, Mochizuki drives back to the station to report in. As he travels along, Sakuma's words echo though his mind. He contemplates the oncoming events, hoping that Sakuma doesn't do anything unnecessary. This Christmas will certainly be interesting, he thinks.

 ***Authour's Note:** **I know it's not the season anymore, but hey, I'm not waiting until next Christmas to finish this (and I'm sure you don't want to wait either!)! See you next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note : ****Hello, hello, hello! By now, most of you are probably frustrated, having to wait. I don't blame you, as I am frustrated, too. I came down with writers' block, and somehow started a novel I hope to turn into either a trilogy or a series. I'm horrible with distractions. -_- But I'm back! And I say hello to those who started reading this when I began writing it, and welcome those just joining our fun party! Thanks to everyone for reviews, favourites, follows, and dealing with my horrible time management! I'm taking a class to learn how to manage my life. Promise. ;P**

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Chapter 6

After the events that transpired on Shiori's first day back in Azakawa Village - the message, the mistletoe, the office, the dinner - things seemed to settle down once Suga had a new shirt and Shiori helped to clean the watery disaster. Afterward, both agreed it would be for the best for Shiori to unpack and settle a bit before bed, while Suga did some last minute tidying for the night. Both went to sleep, the same question on their minds: What did those moments mean?

The following morning, Suga wakes up early out of habit. Officer Mochizuki and Sakuma had told him to take it easy during the holidays, but breaking routine was easier said than done. Not to mention, after the events from yesterday, Suga is quite frazzled, and cannot go back to bed even if he wanted to. And so, Suga grabs a shovel from the storage room, bundles up, and heads to the front walkway.

Meanwhile, Shiori rises from her bed, determined to spend as much free time awake with her friends as possible. Stomach grumbling loudly, Shiori decides making breakfast before Suga has a chance to get into the kitchen. It would be the best way to start the morning right. Throwing on her sweater and jeans, Shiori tromps down the stairs, tired and craving pancakes. Passing the sparkling Christmas tree, Shiori slowly wakes to the world around, and saves herself from banging her knee into one of the display cases. Laughing at herself for being klutzy, she strolls past the entranceway and loses her smile. Instantly on her guard, Shiori hears an eerie scraping sound coming closer and closer to the door.

Shiori tries to calm her racing heart, trying to convince herself that it's nothing. Nothing bad. Nothing horrible. The images of the Kotori Obake flashes into her mind, and she has the sudden urge to find Suga. Even though she knows it's impossible, what if a new demon took over the forest? Demons like forests, right?

Inching back silently, Shiori never removes her eyes from the doorway, scared that whatever it is can hear her shallow and scared breaths. The closer she gets to the office door, the closer the sounds. Just as Shiori reaches the door, the silhouette of a large, menacing creature can be seen from the window. Horribly large. On the verge of panicking, Shiori rushes into the office and slams the door shut behind her. The scraping sounds stop, as though the creature is trying to track her, before they continue like nothing happened. Shiori releases the breath she didn't notice she was holding, then continues her mission.

The office is quiet and still, every key in its place, and boxes ordered alphabetically along the wall. Frowning, Shiori realises she might have to wake Suga up to help her. And yet, when she reaches his door, she can't seem to grasp the handle. What if that thing is nothing? What if Suga-kun gets upset that I woke him up about something like a tree scratching the door? Shiori's worries race through her head, before an answer surfaces: There are no trees or rocks that makes a scratching sound like that. A sound that seems to get closer all the time.

Grabbing the door handle, Shiori whips the door open to Suga's bedroom - to find it empty. Suga's covers are open and the sheets are airing out. His pajamas are neatly folded and peek out slightly from under his pillow. The only thing strange is that Suga's wardrobe is open slightly, as though he dressed quickly before leaving in a hurry. As if...? Shiori turns abruptly to the case with Suga's sword on top. After the incident with the Kotori Okake, Suga's sword was sadly destroyed. Suga insisted that a new sword was a good idea, as it would ensure that any dangers that came could still be vanquished, but Shiori figured it was just to scare off unwanted visitors. However, Shiori realises that Suga was correct. Whatever was out there, Suga was fighting it back...but it had won.

In a fit of desperation to save the man with whom she had embraced the very night before, Shiori races out of the office to face the monster that had taken her beloved Suga-kun. Although she didn't have the same skill with fighting demons as Suga did, and that she now had to face it alone, Shiori knew she had to rescue Suga-kun. Closing his bedroom door, Shiori searches frantically for a Night Glow Stone, finally finding one in the bottom drawer of Suga's desk. Ignoring everything else, Shiori leaves the office a mess, and slides out the office door.

Closing the door quietly behind her, Shiori sneaks along the wall with the window. A loud roar catches her attention, and she looks out to see the beast pick itself up off of the ground. The sun glistens on its wet back - large, fat rolls going from the top to the bottom. After regaining its composure, the demon - black as night - continues its strange walk away from Shiori, hunched and slow. Seeing her chance, Shiori races to the entranceway, where she is hidden from its presumably hideous eyes. Stuffing the stone into one of her coat pockets, she dresses quickly and grabs the handles on the door. Taking one last look at the museum, knowing what she is about to do is for Suga, Shiori yanks the doors open to face the beast.

It looks up in surprise - its face hidden by the fullness of its shoulders - but before it has a chance to utter a growl, Shiori crashes headfirst into it, eyes shut just in cases Suga's blood is on its mouth. They topple to the ground in a large pile of snow, Shiori holding it down on its back. The beast is strong, and it tries to shove the girl off, but to no avail. She struggles out of its grip, yanking a large Night Glow Stone out of her pocket. With a cry, Shiori smacks the stone into its bulbous chest. For a few seconds, nothing happens.

Figuring she did it wrong, Shiori raises the stone in one hand, holding down the beast in another, yelling, "Give Suga-kun back, you monster!" Then smacks the stone into its chest once more.

"What?" says the beast, sounding oddly familiar.

Shiori opens her eyes to see Suga lying in the snow beneath her, utterly bewildered. A black knitted cap lies beside him in the snow, his hair splayed wildly around his head. His noticeably non-hideous eyes stare at her in confusion. He's wearing a large, puffy black coat and a pair of black leather gloves. They stare at each other for a while, trying to figure out what happened. Noticing their predicament, Shiori yanks the stone off of Suga's chest and laughs awkwardly. Suga continues to stare.

"I, um, I...thought you were being attacked...;"says Shiori, red-faced and staring at Suga's chest in embarrassment. "I...I thought you were taken by a large demon, so I thought... maybe...I could destroy it and get you back with this." Shiori places the stone down gently in the same spot on Suga's chest where she had smacked it.

Suga smiles, gazing at his would-be hero. "Shii-chan...;" he half-whispers. Shiori fidgets under his gaze, trying to focus on something other than the man she is currently sitting on. Yet, she found herself staring at his well-formed jawline, beautiful smile, perfectly sculpted lips...

"S-S-Shii-chan?" Suga exclaims, his face as red as his cold nose. Shiori opens her eyes wide, mere millimeters from Suga's face. Unconscientiously, Shiori had been moving closer and closer, as though in a trance, Suga unsure whether to say something or wait to see what would happen. The first option seemed to be the best bet.

The two looked at each other, neither daring to move. Silently, Suga told himself not to mess up, Sakuma's voice telling him to impress her. How, though? Suga stares into his Shii-chan's eyes, a solution eminent. Taking a deep breath of confidence, Suga pushes himself upwards, their noses touching. Shiori's eyes widen as she tries to understand exactly what Suga is doing. Determined, Suga leans in, tilting his head slightly, parting his lips, his eyes fluttering to a close...

His gloved hands slip in the snow, now slightly melted from his rising body temperature, and Suga lands with a fwommp into the snow. Suga's face practically glows when his plan to 'impress' Shiori has failed. Miserably. Then Suga realises that Shiori, the woman he tried to woo with a kiss, is sitting on him, and that he is trapped. Suga stares intensely at the museum, almost willing the doors to fly open and suck him inside where he could hide until his face went back to normal.

A pair of arms flop down on either side of his head, forcing him to look at the person right on top of him. Nose to nose, Shiori stares at Suga intensely. Suga's eyes widen, unsure what to do. "Suga-kun," says Shiori softly. "Did you just try to...?" Suga swallows hard, confirming Shiori's question. Giggling, Shiori moves closer, until Suga can feel Shiori's warm breath against his lips. Instinctively, Suga parts his lips once more, preparing for her touch.

A loud sound emanates from Shiori's stomach. Suga laughs in spite of himself, Shiori bolting to the museum. Cold now that Shiori is gone, Suga sits up, looking at the doors left wide open. The path from the doors to the gate are shoveled clear, and so Suga figures making breakfast for his hungry Shii-chan might be the best option for this scenario.

Standing up, a blue rock falls to the ground. Picking it up, along with the shovel, Suga heads inside. Excuses for finishing what he started pop into his head as he removes his snow gear, but he shakes them off. No way could he be confident enough to pull her into an embrace to kiss her! Letting the shovel dry at the entrance, Suga grips the blue stone and makes his way to the kitchen.

Once there, Suga peers around the corner at his Shii-chan, now preparing either pancakes or waffles, and wonders what to do. In all the romance novels Shiori told him about, the man would sweep the woman off her feet, say something cheesy and romantic, and then kiss her passionately. Nervous, Suga decides to try something like that. After all, if Shiori tried to kiss him back at the entrance, then she _must_ feel the same way about him as he did her.

Puffing up his chest, Suga moves quickly over to Shiori and looms over her, waiting for her to put the bowl of flour and other ingredients down. Startled by his sudden presence, Shiori drops the bowl on the counter, spilling some flour onto herself. Brushing it off, she bumps into Suga, and looks up at him.

Regretting not thinking this through, Suga takes a chance and grabs her right arm. Realising he didn't have a line to say - not like he would say it anyway - he stood there slightly gaping at her. Shiori raises and eyebrow, and Suga shuts his mouth, shoving the stone at her. "...You dropped this...;" Suga blurted. Shiori takes the stone, taken aback. Suga forgets about the ending, rushing to the table and sitting, glaring at the table as if it insulted him.

Shiori takes a moment to try to figure out what just happened. Not coming up with any answers, she looks at the stone in her hand, remembering something very important. Walking over to the table, Shiori puts the stone down and askes, "Suga-kun, what happened to your sword? It's not in its usual spot."

"Workplace. Sharpen," Suga says quickly, not moving his gaze from the table.

Shiori stiffens. She'd jumped to conclusions and made herself look like an idiot. An idiot that attacked her friend with a rock thinking he was a monster. Humiliated, Shiori quickly shuffles back to the counter, continuing her work. A suffocating silence fills the room, the only sound is emanated from a burnt wall clock that miraculously still functions.

A knock resounds through the quiet, startling both of the members housed in the museum. Jumping up, Suga leaves to answer the door speedily, leaving Shiori to complete her work alone. Quietly thanking whomever is at the door for saving the pair in the kitchen from any further embarrassment, Suga opens the door.

Waiting rather impatiently on the other side is Sakuma, who is bundled up it far too many layers. "Finally!" she grumbles, stomping her boots clear of snow before entering. "I thought I was going to freeze out there!" Removing at least three jackets, Sakuma eyes Suga wet hair. Thinking he just took a shower, she asks, rather cheerfully, "Did you sleep in for once, manager-san?"

Shaking his head, Suga points to a wet shovel by the entranceway. Before Sakuma has a chance to ask any more questions, Suga goes to find hangers to hang up her five jackets and two pairs of snow pants.

What's with him? Sakuma wonders. There's no way to get your head that wet when shovelling... Instead of dwelling on it, Sakuma heads to the kitchen.

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 **Author's Note** **: I'm gonna have to end it here, since the computer I'm currently using is having difficulties keeping up with my writing. I'll be using my new laptop for all my other chapters (YAY!), so updates should be faster. After I post this one, I'm going to begin writing the next chapter. Since I'm currently using a computer that** **everyone** **in this household uses, my laptop will be a significant change. Also, I figured out how to edit things now! Huzzah! See you soon! :)**


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